Dead Or Something Worse
by MaybeIShouldGetACat
Summary: After the gala Arizona's life is ripped apart when she falls victim to the worst possible crime. Watch her recovery as April and eventually Callie help her come to terms with what has happened. WARNING: sensitive content, please read the author's note before proceeding. Cannon until 10x04. April/Arizona friendship with eventual Calzona.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This fic contains content that is sensitive and not appropriate for everyone. It deals with the extraordinarily personal topic of violence against women. If you want to read it, I encourage you to continue but I know this is a hard topic for many people and I am not approaching this lightly.**

**I debated long an hard about posting this fic...ask my twitter buddies-there was practically a symposium on this and it almost did not get written. But ultimately I decided that it needed to be told. The night of the gala, when Leah told Arizona she found her passed out in the hallway really struck a chord with me.**

**As upset as we all are that Leah is the one to have found her, it could have been a lot worse.**

**1 in 4 girls (25%) are sexually abused by the age of 18.**

**1 in 6 boys (17%) are sexually abused by the age of 18.**

**And notice that that is just the stats for minors, so I know that may people are affected by this particular topic. So please, I implore you not to read if this isn't something that you can handle. I'm not doing this for shock and awe, but rather to tell a story that too frequently gets glossed over and needs to be told.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy. This is not for profit.**

**So without further ado... Here is "Dead. Or Something Worse." Cannon until 10x04**

* * *

ARIZONA'S POV:

As I slowly started to reenter the land of the living the throbbing in my head made me very very painfully aware that I was alive. _'What the hell happened last night?'_ My fuzzy brain tried to work out what exactly had gone down at the gala and how I had ended up in bed. _'Oh right…three bottles of champagne in a supply closet…with April Kepner.'_ That at least explained the pounding pain behind my eyes. But after that…everything was a blur…I don't even remember getting home.

Mentally preparing myself, I opened my eyes before hissing and squeezing them shut as the bright light from my window assaulted me. With a groan I turned my face back into my pillow, vowing to never drink again when a strange burning pain ripped through my stomach. It wasn't the warm pleasant burn of alcohol…no no. It was something else. Something sharp…cutting.

My hand traveled down to my stomach, hoping that pressure could alleviate the fictitious knife that was ripping its way through me. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw as I pressed down, my fingers splayed against my warm…wet skin… _'What?'_ I moved my fingers around for another second in confusion before realizing that with each stroke across my stomach, the burning got worse and my hand only got more wet.

I wasn't really coherent enough to try to work through what was going on and instead settled for pulling my hand back out from under the covers, staring at it in confusion as it dripped red. The strong metallic smell permeated the air and a sense of horror started to edge away the fog that consumed my brain. I stared at my red hand for one second more before throwing back the covers. Pain ripped through me once more as I propped myself up on my elbows but nothing could numb me to what I saw.

My stomach, painted red with my blood was covered in thin lines, no doubt the source of the cutting pain and more blood stained the sheets between my legs…It was only then that I became aware of the pain that also ripped through my core as a panic set in.

Blindly reaching for my prosthetic limb as I stared down at the crime scene that was my body. I was further startled when my fingers brushed the wood of the nightstand and not the cool plastic of my replacement leg. My chest felt like it was in a vice and my breathing quickened as the pieces started to fall into place and my eyes darted around my bedroom in a panic. Every second felt like an eternity but finally I spotted the flesh colored prosthetic resting against the full sized mirror across the room, surrounded by a spider web of cracks and shattered glass from the bottom of the mirror.

My shoulders started to shake as my eyes involuntarily tracked up the mirror until I saw my own pitiful form sitting in the bed. The first thing I noticed was how the blood that should have been bright red, stained my blue paisley sheets an ugly brown color…I never did like these sheets…

Continuing their ascent up my reflection I sucked in a sharp breath when my eyes landed on my neck and shoulders…My usually pale skin…the skin that had been exposed by my dress at last night's gala was now marred purple and red. I felt the sob bubble up and escape out of me before I could stop it. My hand clamped over my mouth and I tasted the blood that stained it from my stomach as my shoulders shook violently.

Somewhere in the back of my dazed mind, my one remaining piece of rationality was telling me that I needed to call someone. That I couldn't just sit here all day wearing nothing but my own blood. Not when…I was too scared to even think it…

Spying my discarded handbag in the corner of the room, I slowly lowered myself out the bed and onto floor, tugging the bloodied sheet after me. I sat there for a moment as I wrapped the sheet around my shaking frame. The purse was only five feet away but the distance seemed like a mile because one thing they don't tell you when you lose your leg above the knee is that crawling is out of the question.

Turning around, I pushed off with my heel, painfully dragging myself across the floor as my whole body protested the movement until I could collapse in the corner, clutching my handbag to my chest. After a few shaky breaths and a forceful swallow to choke back the bile that was threatening its way up my esophagus I finally undid the little magnetic clip and pulled out my phone with trembling hands.

As I scrolled through the numbers I was suddenly struck by the fact that I didn't know who to call…I hadn't been the most popular person at the hospital since the news of my…infidelity had been not so subtly spread by Callie…and I deserved that. I truly did. But where does it leave me now. The only person who talks to me is Alex and…I shook my head. No. Not a man. Not now. I let out another sob, letting my head drop to my knee as my phone rested lightly in my hand. Never had I felt so alone and so utterly ruined than I did in this moment.

Violent sobs wracked my battered, bruised, and bleeding body as I searched my addled brain, wondering if there was anyone who could help me before I remembered the unusual friendship that I had forged last night. With shaky fingers, I scrolled through my phone, not caring at all that I was smudging it with blood as I searched for a name. I drew the sheets tighter around me as I tapped the icon, watching as my phone finally displayed the message:

_Calling…  
__April Kepner_

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**That was hard for me to write and I'm sure it was hard for many of you to read. I want to raise awareness about sexual violence against not just women, but everyone. If something happens, please speak out. There are always people to help.**

**Thanks for eelahnie for giving me the kick in the pants needed to write this.**

**More coming. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I cannot believe the response this story has gotten. It means a lot because I know that unfortunately many people have experienced this or something similar.**

**I also want to note that this will be a Calzona fic. I promise! (I caught a little flack for the fact that Callie wasn't in the first few chapters of my other Calzona story-same kind of case here). But I promise this will be Calzona. Because I don't think Arizona can recover from this without her wife in the end.**

**So here's the next bit. Not told in POV, rather it is 3rd person.**

**Thanks again to eelahnie for all of her help.**

* * *

The shrill ringing of a phone was not quite the way April wanted to wake up this morning. After splitting three bottles of champagne the night before and spending the first few hours after getting home with her arms wrapped around the toilet, it really was no wonder that she found herself waking up in her bathtub with her hair still up and her spanx still on. With a groan, she pushed herself up against the side of the tub, reaching for her purse which held the offending device. Recognizing Arizona's name on the screen, she quickly slid her fingers across the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?" The sound of someone sniffling came through the phone and April had to press it closer to her ear, wondering why the sound was so muffled.

"_Ap-April…are you home?"_ On the other end of the line, Arizona choked back a sob and swallowed.

"Huh?" April continued to strain to hear until she pulled back and looked at her phone, turning it right side up and pressing it back to her ear. "Huh? Yeah. I'm home. Ugh…my head is going to explode."

Arizona was barely holding it together as she spoke though the phone. _"Can you come to my apartment…I-I think something happened."_

"Something happened alright." April's voice was a little too loud for her bathroom and resonated, worsening the pain in her already throbbing head. "Ow…I am never drinking again."

In her apartment, Arizona looked down at the sheet that as wrapped around her body, forcing back a gag as the blood from her injuries started to leak through the sheets. _"I'm bleeding…"_ She spoke quietly, in a daze as she studied the red liquid that was staining her blue sheets brown.

"What?" April gave a little half laugh, not understanding what her new friend was going on about. With another groan she pushed herself up and stepped out of the bathtub, walking over to the sink to look at herself in the mirror. "Ugh." She rested the phone between her shoulder and her ear, turning on the tap while Arizona continued to talk.

"_I think…"_ Arizona's voice was still shaky. She opened the sheets and looked down at her stomach, her usually pale skin stained bright red. Wiping her hand across the sea of blood, she sucked in a sharp breath between her teeth as the skin continued to burn. Making one more pass over the area, she realized there were stripes of blood that wouldn't wipe away, that kept oozing fresh blood out of her body. With gentle fingers she traced a few of the areas before letting out a whimper. _"Someone cut me…"_

Running a wet hand over her face before pulling out the bobby pins that had kept her up-do mostly intact April's face contorted in confusion. "Someone cut you? What are you talking about?" _'Nine…Ten…'_ She couldn't remember how many bobby pins she had used to secure her French twist as she ran her fingers through her hair, certain that she would find some more later.

"_I don't- I don't know. But I think…"_ Arizona's fingers traveled between her legs, investigating the other source of her bleeding before a burning pain shot through her as she encountered a tear. _"Oh God…"_ The full implications of what had happened finally hit her like a truck and she doubled over gagging violently as April finally started to come out of her champagne induced haze and realize that something was very, very wrong.

Taking a pause from her self-maintenance April's hand rose back up to the phone, grasping it tightly as she pressed it to her ear. Fear started to creep over her and she had felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when Arizona had spoken in that hollowed-out voice. "Arizona? What's going on?"

Huddled in a corner, wrapped in a blood soaked bed sheet, the blonde could now put a word to what had been done to her as she spoke in a horrified whisper. _"I think I was raped…"_

April almost dropped the phone as Arizona voiced the fear that had been niggling at the corner of her mind since she realized something was wrong. "You think- Don't move! I'm on my way!" She heard clattering on the other end of the line as she rushed into her bedroom. "Arizona?" She listened closely as she tugged on shorts and a t-shirt over her spanx. When she heard the blonde's muffled sobs she realized the clattering had been the other phone dropping to the ground. Unsure if the terrified woman could hear her or not, she raised her voice, "Arizona I'm on my way!" She shouted into the phone as she grabbed her purse off the bathroom floor and dashed out of the house.

* * *

April forced back bile as she approached the blue door of apartment 502, noticing that it was ajar. Knocking loudly on the frame, she pushed it open before calling out. "Arizona? It's April." The redhead walked slowly into the apartment, afraid of what she might find.

"Bedroom." A voice called weakly from the room in question and April side stepped around a broken vase before stepping through the doorway.

The first thing she noticed was the copper smell of blood that hung thick in the air. April's eyes briefly skirted over the disheveled bed and broken mirror before coming to rest on the small, terrified woman in the corner of the room. "There's so much blood…" She whispered to herself in horror before her doctor instincts kicked in and she rushed over to Arizona's side, dropping to her knees in front of her and cringing when she noticed the bloody sheets and the bruises that were already darkening on Arizona's pale neck and shoulders. "What happened?" Her voice was laced with a cacophony of emotions as she studied the woman before her.

This woman was so different from the Arizona Robbins that she knew. The woman she knew was one of the most gifted surgeons of their generation. Who had come back to work standing tall after a plane crash had cost her her leg. And who had made a stupid mistake by cheating on her wife that she was willing to do anything to rectify. Despite her mistakes, April knew Arizona Robbins to be a strong and proud woman but the person sitting before her right now appeared anything but that. Her normally creamy white skin was dull and grey and her bouncy blonde curls hung lifelessly around her face. Bright blue eyes that we usually full of life and joy were now empty and hollow as they looked up at April in fear.

"I woke up and- and-" Arizona started to explain before shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut as tears leaked out onto her ashen cheeks.

Leaning forward, April went to wrap her in a hug as her own tears spilled over before stopping herself and pushing herself backwards to land on her bottom. She crossed her legs in front of her, devastated that she couldn't hold and comfort her new friend. "You need to call the police."

Without opening her eyes, Arizona shook her head again as more tears spilled over. "Can you…please."

April nodded wordlessly before realizing that the blonde couldn't see her. "Of course." She whispered. She looked down at her phone, finally ending the call what was still in progress with Arizona's phone which was discarded on the floor.

April kept an eye on the blonde as she placed the call, providing the address and explaining what happened. Assured that the police were on their way, she hung up and leaned forward. "Arizona?" She spoke gently, giving a comforting smile when watery blue eyes focused on her. "They want you to get dressed. But you can't shower okay. Let me get you come clothes." She pushed herself upright and walked over to the dresser, opening several empty drawers before she found sweatpants and a t-shirt.

As April returned to her side, Arizona's grip on the bed sheet loosened and the fabric fell away from her body. April got a quick glimpse of the injuries on the blonde's stomach before Arizona quickly threw the shirt over her head. "Arizona, where's your other leg?" Her eyes briefly swept over the high heeled prosthetic that lay against the wall, still wearing its silver shoe from the night before. "The one you wear to the hospital."

Arizona cleared her throat. "The bathroom." She tightened the sheet around her waist and watched April retrieve her leg and liner before bringing it to her.

"What can I do?"

"I can do it." The blonde waited until April had respectfully averted her eyes before pulling back the sheet. Rolling on her liner and wrangling the sweatpants around her prosthetic, she affixed the leg to her residuum and pulled the pants up to her knees before looking towards her friend. "Can- can you help me up?" Her voice was small as she reached upwards.

"Of course." Now April didn't care that she wasn't supposed to touch Arizona until she had been processed. Her new friend was vulnerable and needed her. Grasping the petite blonde under her arms, she pulled her upright, averting her eyes again as Arizona pulled up her pants to cover her blood stained thighs. "Arizona?" Her heart broke as frightened eyes settled on her. "We're going to figure this out. We're going to figure it out and-" She shook her head, overwhelmed and unable to find the right words to comfort the blonde because honestly…there were none.

After a moment of silence, April put a hand on Arizona's back, gently leading the other woman from the room. When they reached the living room, she guided the blonde to the couch before settling beside her to hold her hand until the police arrived.

* * *

Arizona's voice was lifeless as she gave her statement to the detectives. On their request she raised her shirt to show them the wounds on her abdomen, too numb to wonder why one of the detectives snapped a picture and in too much of a daze to hear the female detective whisper that the wounds looked like _His_ marks.

April on the other hand noticed everything, and was now wondering who _He_ was. She watched them with a critical eye as they finished recording Arizona's statement before informing the blonde that an ambulance was here to take her to the hospital for a rape kit.

"Detective Young will be accompanying you to Grey Sloan Memorial for processing." Det. Rivkin gestured to his female partner and rose from the adjacent couch as the EMTs wheeled the gurney into the apartment.

At this comment, Arizona's head shot up in alarm. "No." She shook her head quickly. "I-I- can't go to Grey Sloan. I-I-"

"Ms. Robbins." The detective spoke gently, radiating a calm that came from year of talking to terrified victims. "You need to go to the hospital. We need your help to catch this bastard. Okay?"

"O-okay. But…" She shot April a terrified look, silently pleading with her to intervene.

Understanding her trepidation, the redhead lay a gentle hand on her arm before speaking. "Detective, can she go to Seattle Pres instead. I know it's a little further, but she is a doctor at Grey Sloan-"

"I understand but-"

"And partial owner of the hospital." April cut the detective off. "So wouldn't any evidence collected there be considered a conflict of interest?"

Pausing for a moment, the seasoned detective considered her statement before nodding and gesturing for the EMTs to come over. "Detective Young will go with you to Seattle Presbyterian."

After the paramedics helped Arizona up from the couch and onto the gurney the detective once again stepped up to her side as they strapped her in. "We'll get him."

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**Thank you for reading. For those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas. For those of you who don't, happy Dec 25th. **

**Please remember that if something has happened to you, don't stay silent. There are people who can help.**

**Please let me know what you think. More to come.**


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